


The Gift of Friendship

by allyasavedtheday



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Actor!Scott, Alternate Universe - Human, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Oblivious Derek, Oblivious Stiles, Pining, actor!Stiles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-28
Updated: 2014-04-28
Packaged: 2018-01-21 04:31:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1537631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allyasavedtheday/pseuds/allyasavedtheday
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“It’s cool,” Stiles assures him. “Is there something you need?”</p><p>“I just wanted to introduce myself?” Derek wants to punch himself in the face. Why is he phrasing it like a question? “I’m Derek, your PA.”</p><p>Stiles’ face brightens and he latches onto Derek’s hand to shake it, “Oh awesome! I’m Stiles.”</p><p>“I know,” Derek says and wow can the ground just open up and swallow him whole now? I know. <em>I know?</em> Does he actually think he’s in a movie? <em>God.</em></p><p>Scott and Stiles get a job playing best friends in a movie. Derek is their biggest fan (and PA). Laura's the worst (but also kind of the best)</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Gift of Friendship

**Author's Note:**

  * For [warmth](https://archiveofourown.org/users/warmth/gifts).



Derek remembers the first movie he’d seen Stiles Stilinski in. It was some kids movie that tried to pretend it had more adult humour in it than it did that Cora insisted they watch for Friday movie night. To be fair, she was like fourteen at the time but still. To Derek’s melodramatic teen self, it was like torture. That is, until about ten minutes in when the babysitter character appeared on screen and his interest was piqued.

He’d been hooked from the moment Stiles opened his mouth. There was a sincerity in the way he spoke, an easiness, a goofiness that didn’t come off as gimmicky. (It might’ve helped that the constellations of moles on his face and bright eyes weren’t hard to look at either.)

Derek might’ve watched the movie alone a few more times after that to revel in Stiles’ voice but after a couple of weeks he pretty much forgot about him.

That is, until he’d been flicking aimlessly through TV channels a few months later and caught sight of a familiar buzzcut. He flipped back instantly, sitting forward as the boy on his screen laughed at something the interviewer said.

He listened for a while until there was a mention of Stiles’ new movie and Derek decided to do a little googling - the last thing he needed was a crush on someone way too young for him. Stiles was sixteen – two years, Derek could handle that - and fairly new to the business but a consummate professional according to everyone who worked with him.

Derek was mildly in love with him.

It became sort of…a habit of his to follow Stiles’ career then.

Stiles wasn’t very famous. He mostly starred in TV movies and guest appearances on shows but he was just- he was  _perfect_ , as far as Derek was concerned and made any god-awful plotline worthy of Derek’s time if he was the one acting it.

The only person that could possibly rival him for Derek’s affections was Scott McCall. Scott had been a child star in a lot of Derek’s favourite movies as a kid and Derek had always wished he could trade Cora in for a little brother like Scott instead. (When she found out, she gave him a black eye. She was nine.)

Derek wasn’t  _attracted_  to Scott though. He didn’t want to spend hours raking his fingers through his newly grown-out hair or tracing his moles with his tongue or learning each and every thing that made him tick.

_Not that he wanted to do that with Stiles!_

No, with Scott, there was just this sort of supreme feeling of nostalgia and sentimentality Derek felt whenever he saw the grown-up version of him on the screen.

The point was; Derek had two favourite actors. Everyone _knew_  he had two favourite actors. Who weren’t necessarily very popular which made Derek all the more protective of them and any chance he might ever have to meet them.

Enter Laura.

*

Derek’s been in between jobs pretty much ever since he finished college two years ago. Mostly because he doesn’t really  _know_  what he wants to do. So when Laura says she knows a friend of a friend who’s looking for a Personal Assistant on some movie set he doesn’t think much of it. He just thinks she’s helping him sow his wild oats and all that crap, he just thinks she’s helping making up his mind.

He should’ve known it’s never that simple with her.

The movie is some crappy Hallmark movie called The Gift of Friendship, Derek has no interest so he doesn’t bother looking up the cast or the summary. All he knows is that his new boss said he’ll be on duty for the two stars, getting them whatever they ask for when they ask for it. It’s sounds pretty easy, honestly.

And while he doubts PA work is what he wants to do with his life he figures it’ll pay the bills for a few months.

He’s absently listening to his new boss, Finstock, ramble on while he’s trying to read his contract “You’ll meet McCall today,” Finstock is saying and Derek quirks his lips because hey that’s the same last name as Scott’s. “Stilinski won’t be in till tomorrow.”

Derek freezes. He takes a moment to collect himself and looks up from the paper in his hand. Very restrainedly, he asks, “You don’t mean Scott McCall and Stiles Stilinski, do you?”

“Who do you think I mean?  _Their parents?”_  Finstock laughs as that could even be deemed a mediocre joke. “Of course I mean them! They’re the stars of the movie.”

Derek thinks he might not be breathing.

Oh god.

_Oh god._

He’s going to die. He’s most definitely going to die. But no. First he has to kill Laura. Yeah, he’ll do that first.

“Kid? You’re not having a stroke, are you?” Finstock’s peering at him curiously and Derek realises he’s been holding his pen mid-air, gaping and staring off into space for the last two minutes.

“Fine. Sorry,” he mutters, looking back down at the contract and trying to remember he’s signing his name, not a death warrant.

Though at this point they’re basically the same thing.

 *

Derek paces back and forth in Finstock’s office, feeling like he might throw up. This is going to be a disaster, he’s going to completely embarrass himself and get fired on the spot.

Okay. Y’know what? No. He thinks he can  _probably_  handle meeting Scott. In fact, it could even be a nice experience, a fond memory to look back on years from now.

But  _Sties?_

Derek’s been half in love with him since he was like seventeen! How the fuck is he supposed to talk to him? How is even supposed to breathe the same air as him?!

He hears the door handle click and makes a distressed, undignified noise that he’s extremely relieved no one – Laura – is around to hear and then Finstock is barging into the room with a familiar face following behind him.

Scott’s nodding along to what Finstock is saying like he’s indulging a toddler but when he’s eyes connect with Derek’s he gives him a bright smile.

“Hale,” Finstock says when he stops in front of him. “Meet McCal- er, Scott.”

Scott steps forward, holding out a hand. “Hey man, it’s so nice to meet you,” he says sincerely. “It’s Derek, right?”

Derek nods wordlessly, shaking Scott’s hand. He feels like someone’s stolen his voice. Oh god this is awful. Say something, Derek!  _Speak._ “Right. Yes,” he says awkwardly. “I’m Derek.”

Scott thankfully doesn’t look deterred and smiles encouragingly, “Cool. I’m sure we’re gonna have a lot of fun working together.”

Derek nods and attempts to smile, “Looking forward to it.”

*

As soon as Derek’s in his car at the end of the day, he calls his sister.

“Hello?” she calls in a sing-song voice.

“ _Laura,”_  he hisses, through gritted teeth.

She laughs delightfully, “And what can I do for you, dear brother of mine?”

“How did you do it?” he asks without preamble.

“Whatever do you mean?” she replies in that stupid Disney princess voice of feigned innocence she used always used as a kid to get him into trouble.

“How did you get me onto the set of Scott and Stiles’ new movie? And how did you find out about it before  _me?”_  he demands incredulously and Laura starts snickering again.

“You’re welcome,” she answers smugly.

“ _Welcome?”_  he splutters. “Laura, do you honestly think I’ll be able to navigate this situation smoothly?”

“No,” she replies casually. “And I can’t wait to watch the whole thing.”

“I hate you,” he tells her vehemently.

“Aw no you don’t,” Laura coos. “You love me!”

Derek grumbles that she’s right – because even though she’s only joking, he still has this compulsive need to reassure her – and hangs up. 

Tomorrow is going to be a train wreck.

*

Derek almost crashes his car on his way to work, he’s so nervous. He manages to make it to the parking lot unscathed but he’ll never understand how. He can’t even remember the drive over. All he knows is that his brain was playing all the horrible scenarios that could happen when he meets Stiles on a loop.

He walks onto set with wooden legs, mumbling reassurances to himself under his breath. Finstock meets him on the first set they’re shooting at that morning. He gives Derek a clipboard with Scott and Stiles’ schedules on it and hands him a headset. “Your most important job is making sure Stilinski and McCall are on set on time,” Finstock tells him, trying to look imposing by pointing a finger at Derek. “Other than that,” Finstock gestures vaguely with his hand. “Do what they say.”

And then he’s striding off, yelling at some poor, unsuspecting stage-hand. Derek slips on the headset and checks the clipboard. Scott’s not due in for another hour but Stiles needs to be in hair and make-up in ten minutes.

He swallows down his nerves and checks Stiles’ dressing room number, wandering down the corridor until he finds it.

 _Welp, here goes nothing_ , he thinks as he knocks on the door.

“S’open!” someone calls from the other side of the door.

Derek makes a noise that’s some combination of a groan and a whine but opens the door anyway.

Stiles is sitting on a tiny couch with his feet propped up on a coffee table, munching on cereal when Derek enters the room. Stiles looks over casually, does a double take, flails and starts choking on his food. In that order.

Derek doesn’t think, he just reacts, rushing over to Stiles’ side and giving him a thwack on the back in a vain attempt to help him stop coughing. Stiles clutches his chest, coughing and spluttering a few more times before clearing his throat loudly.

Derek spies a bottle of water on the dressing table and darts across the small room to grab it. He hands it to Stiles without a word and Stiles takes it gratefully, throwing back a long gulp. Derek tries not to stare at the way Stiles’ Adams apple bobs and swallows thickly.

 _The guy almost choked, for fuck’s sake!_  Derek berates himself,  _Get it together, Hale._

Stiles finally seems to be breathing normally again and he stands up wiping his eyes. “Sorry man, you startled me.”

“Yeah- I knocked…and you said it was open and I- sorry,” Derek finishes lamely and Stiles’ expression softens into a smile.

“It’s cool,” Stiles assures him. “Is there something you need?”

“I just wanted to introduce myself?” Derek wants to punch himself in the face. Why is he phrasing it like a question? “I’m Derek, your PA.”

Stiles’ face brightens and he latches onto Derek’s hand to shake it, “Oh awesome! I’m Stiles.”

“I know,” Derek says and wow can the ground just open up and swallow him whole now? I know.  _I know?_ Does he actually think he’s in a movie?  _God._

But Stiles only gives him a wry smile as he pulls his hand back.

“I, uh, also wanted to tell you that you need to be in hair and make-up,” Derek says, checking his watch. “In 6 minutes.”

Stiles’ eyes widen and he spins around to grab his bowl of cereal from where he left it on the coffee table, shoving a huge spoonful into his mouth trying to finish it quickly.

“Careful not to choke again,” Derek tries to joke so of course, Stiles’ eyes widen and he laughs which  _does_ make him choke again. Could this literally be going any worse?

Stiles gets himself under control this time, giving Derek a sheepish smile. “I better head off,” he mumbles, sounding embarrassed and god, Derek is totally in love with him. Who is he even kidding?

Derek nods and smiles awkwardly, following Stiles out of his room a few paces behind him.

*

Scott and Stiles become best friends after about five minutes. No one is surprised, since apparently the two acted as though they’d known each other since they were toddlers when they were auditioning. It gives Derek a kind of thrill. Not only are his two favourite actors working together but now they’re  _friends_. And he gets to be there when they hang out! Or- he gets to stand a few feet away and interrupt them when it’s time for them to go back to set.

Scott is endlessly friendly, always offering him genuine grins and thanking him profusely whenever Derek does anything. Stiles, he can’t get a read on. Sometimes he’ll joke around with Derek and pat his arm or his shoulder or there’s the rare occasion where he’ll sigh, leaning exaggeratedly on Derek when it’s a late night shoot and Derek tries not to have heart palpitations. But most of the time, Stiles is awkward and reserved around him. Like he’ll stop talking as soon as Derek comes in the room or avoid eye contact. And honestly, Derek’s getting whiplash from it all.

He’s on set one day watching the scene Scott and Stiles are filming from the side-lines when he notices a girl sitting in one of their chairs. She’s thin with long brown, curly hair, all delicate features. She’s got the biggest smile on her face as she watches the scene, enraptured, absently wiping tears from her cheeks every few minutes.

From where he’s standing Derek can’t tell if she’s sitting in Scott’s chair or Stiles’ and he starts having a minor internal freak-out. Does Stiles have a  _girlfriend?_  Derek hasn’t seen anything about it in the media and Stiles, himself, has never mentioned it but maybe they want to keep it quiet? Has he been crushing on someone who’s been taken this whole time? This is awful. No wonder Stiles always runs hot and cold with him, he can probably tell Derek has a monster crush on him and doesn’t know how to let him down gently. Honestly, why does Derek even go outside? He should just-

The girl seems to realise he’s staring at her and she looks up, meeting his eyes and giving him a confused smile. Crap, now he has to go over.

He strides over to her with false bravado, careful not to make any noise so he doesn’t interrupt filming and sees with some relief that she’s sitting in Scott’s chair.

But that doesn’t mean anything. She could still be Stiles’ girlfriend. Derek fucking hates his brain.

“Hi,” she whispers when he comes to a stop beside her. “They’re amazing, aren’t they?” she asks, shaking her head in amazement, watching Stiles and Scott have a tearful conversation about their friendship.

Derek hums his agreement and she turns to him again. “Sorry, you must think I’m a mess,” she laughs lightly, holding out a hand. “I’m Allison, Scott’s girlfriend.”

Derek’s ninety per cent sure his sigh of relief isn’t audible but Allison gives him a peculiar smile so he can’t tell. “I’m Derek,” he replies to distract her, shaking her hand. “Scott and Stiles’ PA.”

“Right!” she says with recognition. “Scott mentioned you.”

“He did?” he asks, a little awestruck and sounding every bit like the fanboy he’s trying to pretend he’s not.

Allison grins at him like he’s a puppy that’s just done a trick. “Yeah, he and Stiles gush over you all the time,” she answers offhandedly.

Derek’s head snaps up at Stiles’ name. Stiles  _gushes_  over him?  _Since when?_

Allison’s eyeing him speculatively when he finally checks back into reality as the director yells cut.

Scott and Stiles amble over, wiping their eyes and laughing together, clapping each other on the back. Allison’s up and out of her seat in an instant, rushing over to hug Scott and plant a kiss on his cheek. “You were  _amazing!”_ she tells him and Scott beams at her.

She lets go of Scott briefly to hug Stiles and tell him the same. Stiles scoffs and says “I know,” in a haughty voice but Derek can see the pleased blush on his face.

Stiles leaves Allison and Scott giggling together and  _oh shit_  he’s coming over to Derek. No wait, he’s going to his chair.

He gives Derek a shy smile as he picks up his water bottle and hops up into his chair.

“Can I get you anything?” Derek asks, refusing to stare at Stiles’ hands fiddling with the cap of his water bottle.

Stiles shakes his head, his smile falling into something more casual. “Nah, I’m good. Thanks Derek.”

Derek nods, before looking at the empty seat next to Stiles. He looks around nervously, watches Stiles playing with his phone and then, in a fit of bravery, sits in Scott’s chair – Scott’s already disappeared with Allison, he can go find him when they’re needed back on set in a few minutes.

Stiles looks up as he sits down, surprise colouring his face but he doesn’t tell Derek to move.

“You were pretty good in that scene,” Derek tells him to diffuse some of the tension except he probably just made it awkward with how intense he says it.

Stiles narrows his eyes at him, pretending to be offended. “Only “pretty good”?”

“Well maybe a little better than pretty good,” Derek concedes, leaning in conspiratorially and wait, what the hell is he doing? That sounded like flirting. Is he honestly trying to flirt with the guy he’s had a crush on since he was a teenager?

Stiles nods nonchalantly, keeping a straight face for all of three seconds before grinning. And yes. Derek  _is_  flirting, he decides, if it means he can get Stiles to smile like that.

“Thanks,” Stiles says happily. “You weren’t so bad yourself.”

Derek raises an eyebrow, about to ask him what he’s talking about when Stiles cuts him off, stammering out a flustered response.

“I just meant- uh, you were really good at, y’know, guarding our…chairs?” he finishes weakly before burying his face in his hands.

“Uh thanks?” Derek replies confusedly, before spotting the time on Stiles’ watch. He needs to go find Scott. “I should probably get Scott. They’re gonna want you both back on set in a sec,” he tells Stiles apologetically.

Stiles nods pathetically from where his face is still hidden behind his hands and Derek gets up to leave, trying and failing not to analyse the hell out of what just happened.

*

“Heeey Derek,” Scott says, coming up behind Derek as he grabs his stuff from his locker. He whimpers internally, he was just about to go home. And while he usually never minds helping Scott and Stiles, Stiles has been avoiding him ever since their conversation earlier and he just really wants to go home and eat ice-cream and marathon Stiles’ movies with Erica because she’s the least mean with her teasing.

Derek turns, plastering a smile on his face. “What d’you need?”

“Oh well, it’s just- Stiles’ jeep broke down. It’s a total piece of crap but he’s attached,” Scott grins, shrugging in “what can you do” sort of gesture. “And I was totally gonna give him a ride home but Allison’s planned this big romantic date and I-“

“I’ll drive him home,” Derek acquiesces, giving Scott a smile that probably looks pained more than anything else. This is going to be the worst car ride of his life.

Scott smiles so wide it looks like his cheeks hurt. “Thanks so much, man! You’re a life-saver! I’ll go tell Stiles.” Scott darts off before Derek can say anymore and he sighs, slumping against the lockers.

He’s going to  _kill_ Laura.

*

Stiles messes with radio stations for about ten minutes until he settles on a song he deems worthy. He’s quiet and he refuses to make eye contact and Derek really doesn’t know how much longer he can deal with the tension.

Which means, unsurprisingly, things get worse.

When his phone starts ringing he doesn’t think much of it, just puts it on speaker and says hello. He can’t really check who it is while he’s driving.

“ _Derek?”_

Shit. It’s Cora.

“What?” he asks flatly.

“ _Well afternoon to you too, sunshine,”_  she drawls and Stiles snorts.

Derek takes his eyes off the road for a second to see the way Stiles is trying to hide his smirk and feels his own lips tugging up in response. Even though Stiles is basically trying not to laugh at his expense and this is why Derek doesn’t  _like_  people, okay? It makes him stupid.

“What d’you want, Cora?”

He sees Stiles mouth, “Cora” next to him but he doesn’t have time to explain who she is because she’s already talking again.

_“I need you to pick me up from work.”_

And nope. No way. There is no way Cora’s getting in a car with Stiles. Nope. Not happening.

“What happened to your car?” he asks, deflecting.

 _“Laura gave me a ride this morning but now she’s stuck at some meeting which means_ _you_ _need to come get me,”_  Cora tells him, sounding more and more like a demanding five year old with every word.

“I’ll pick you up in like half an hour,” Derek promises.

 _“No, Derek._   _Now,”_  she whines. “ _I’ve had the worst day. I wanna go home and hit things.”_

Stiles makes a noise in the seat next to him and Derek sighs. Yeah they’re definitely not getting in the car together.

“Just let me drop someone off first and I’ll come get you,” he pleads.

“ _Someone’s in the car with you?”_

Fuck. He can’t tell her it’s Stiles. She’ll ruin his life, she lives for that.

“Yeah, someone from work,” he says instead. “I’ll pick you up after I bring them home.”

“I don’t mind,” Stiles says quietly and no, no, no, this is _not_  going to go the way Derek fears it will.

“ _Yeah Derek. Your friend doesn’t mind. Just come get me.”_

Derek sighs in defeat. He can’t say no now, he’s gonna sound like an asshole. “Fine,” he grumbles. “Be there in five.”

 _“Thanks bro!”_  Cora calls before promptly hanging up, not sounding half as pathetic as she did a second ago.

There’s an awkward silence for a minute and then, “So that was, uh-“

“My sister,” Derek answers.

“Oh. She seems…nice,” Stiles eventually says.

“She’s a demon from hell,” Derek responds mildly, forcing himself  _not_  to drive the car into a tree to avoid the horror that’s about to ensue. It’d probably be less painful to be honest.

That startles a laugh out of Stiles and he hits Derek’s arm lightly. “Dude, she can’t be that bad.”

“You haven’t met her yet,” Derek scoffs and then he realises he should probably warn Stiles to ignore literally everything Cora says from the minute she gets into the car to the minute he leaves. “So, uh, just ignore her. Please. She lives to make situations as awkward as possible – especially if I’m involved. So yeah, just imagine that every single thing she says is a lie.”

“Why? Has she got embarrassing childhood stories about you?” Stiles asks mischievously, waggling his eyebrows. “Does she know all your secrets?”

And wow this car ride is going to be just as bad as he thinks it will, won’t it?

“Something like that,” he mutters, pulling up to the restaurant Cora works at. She’s standing under the awning over the door when he stops at the curb and she makes a run for the backseat. She doesn’t stop to check who else is in the car since it’s pouring rain and Derek doesn’t know if that’s a blessing or a curse yet.

She chucks all her stuff in the car before throwing herself in and slamming the door shut. “I fucking hate the rain,” she complains, peeling off her soaked jacket.

“Seatbelt,” Derek commands, pulling away from the curb again. He can feel Stiles staring at him – probably in amusement – but he refuses to meet his gaze. Cora doesn’t need any more ammunition.

“Alright, alright,” she huffs. “Geez, you’re worse than-“ She stops abruptly and Derek just  _knows_  she’s finally after catching sight of who’s in the passenger seat. Great.

“Who’s your friend, Der?” she asks casually, except Derek can hear the teasing lilt coming into her voice.

“Cora, this is Stiles,” he replies gruffly. “Stiles, this is the  _spawn of Satan_.”

Cora leans forward in her seat and smacks the back of his head to which he quickly responds with, “No assaulting the driver!”

There’s a stifled laugh from the passenger seat and then Cora’s forgotten all about Derek in favour of talking to Stiles. “Stiles, was it?” she asks sweetly. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Uh you too,” Stiles says uncertainly. Cora’s probably doing that creepy face she makes that involves no blinking and smiling like it’s physically hurting her.

“Hey! I think I’ve seen some of your movies,” she says suddenly.

Oh fucking hell. “Cora-“ he tries to protest.

“You’re really good!” she bulldozes on. “Derek’s been a fan of you for  _ages_. But of course, he’s probably already told you that-“

“ _Cora_ ,” Derek snaps, resisting the urge to drag a hand down his face in exasperation.

“He…didn’t mention that actually,” Stiles says after a moment and Derek can feel his eyes on him again.

“Really?” Cora asks with mock incredulity. “But you’re all he ever-“

“Cora! Need I remind you Laura still doesn’t know you’re the one who destroyed the thousand dollar dress she got specially made in Paris and treasured as if it were her own child? So if I were you I’d choose your next words very carefully,” Derek threatens.

Cora gapes at him, eyes wide, “You  _promised_ -“

“Try me,” is all he says back.

She huffs but flops back into the back seat so he allows himself the tiniest sigh of relief. It doesn’t change the fact that Stiles is probably never going to speak to him again.

The rest of the car ride is steeped in awkward silence until they arrive at Stiles’ apartment block. “Thanks for the ride,” Stiles says, looking like he can’t wait to make a run for it.

Derek gives him a pathetic excuse for a smile and Stiles climbs out of the car.

“It was nice meeting you, Cora,” he says just before he’s about to close the door. And then he gives Derek a long look, like he’s studying him. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Derek.”

*

Cora climbs into the front seat once Stiles is out of the car. Derek waits until he’s around the corner before slamming on the brakes so he can turn the full-force of his glare on her. “I can’t believe you did that!” he exclaims.

“What? Did you a favour?” Cora scoffs.

“How was  _that_  a favour?” Derek asks in disbelief.

“I knew there was no way in hell you’d be honest with him so I did it for you,” she replies loftily.

“There’s a  _reason_  I didn’t tell him. He’s gonna think I’m a total stalker now!”

“No,” Cora drawls like she’s talking to a five year old. “He’s gonna think you like him, which’ll mean he’ll allow himself to like you back.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” he huffs.

“Look Derek, for some reason, human beings find you aesthetically pleasing. I don’t know why, I still haven’t figured it out,” she tells him with a smirk. “But you’re too fucking awkward for your own good. You put people off because you’re all closed off and cagey when secretly you’re pining after them like some lovesick teenager.”

Derek opens and closes his mouth, planning on replying about three different times before he eventually sighs and grumbles, “I don’t do that.”

“You tooootally do,” Cora says knowingly. “But trust me, tomorrow at work, all your dreams are gonna come true,” she promises with a decidedly kinder smile.

*

Tomorrow at work is  _not_  when all his dreams come true. Derek spends most of the day avoiding Stiles like the plague and the rest of the day dodging Scott’s seemingly innocent but probing questions.

It doesn’t help that he can feel Stiles looking at him whenever they’re in the same room. He almost makes it through the entire day before Scott properly corners him. He’d asked Derek to come to his dressing room to help him move something but when Derek gets there Scott closes the door and rounds on him. “Okay, cut the crap,” Scott says. “You like Stiles.”

“W-what?” Derek stutters, looking desperately at the door behind Scott.

“I’m not blind,” Scott says blithely. “Which is why I know Stiles likes you too,” he adds proudly before rolling his eyes, “Also because you’re both completely freakin’ obvious.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Derek says, out of principle more than anything else. He’s always sucked at lying.

“Yes you do,” Scott replies simply. “And that’s why you’re gonna go tell him.” He puts his hands on Derek’s shoulders and starts steering him to the door. “Because if I have to watch you two tiptoe around each other and give each other heart eyes while the other person isn’t looking for one more day I’m gonna go insane.”

“I- I don’t-“ Derek tries to push back but Scott’s surprisingly strong. Scott shoves him out of the dressing room with a smile and makes a shooing gesture. “Go!”

Derek considers fighting but Scott’s already closed the door. He sighs, figures he should probably talk to Stiles anyway –  _not about what Scott said_ , about the car ride from hell – and heads down the corridor to Stiles’ dressing room.

He steels himself before knocking on the door. A second later, the door’s flung open and Stiles is staring up at him with huge eyes. “Uh…Derek. Hey,” Stiles says blankly.

“Can I come in?” Derek requests.

Stiles nods meekly, stepping out of the way to let Derek in.

“I wanted to say sorry about Cor-“

“Did you really know who I was before this?” Stiles asks quietly, looking up from underneath his lashes and ugh. No _._  Derek can’t be subjected to that look  _now_. Not when he’s trying to lie his way out of this.

“Um I’d seen some of your stuff, yeah,” Derek says casually and Stiles drops the unsure expression and raises an eyebrow giving him a sceptical look.

“Really?” Stiles asks drily.

“Yeah I-“ He’s about to spout some bogus story when he realises it’s completely pointless and sighs in defeat. “I’ve pretty much watched every single thing you’ve been in religiously since I was like eighteen,” he admits.

Stiles starts, eyes widening in shock. “Wait, seriously?”

It’s Derek’s turn to roll his eyes. “Yes, seriously,” he replies sardonically and then more sincerely, “You’re really talented.”

“I-“ Stiles stares at him dumbly for a minute before finishing his sentence. “I don’t hear that very often.”

“Well you should,” Derek grumbles, staring at the floor so Stiles won’t see the way his cheeks are pink.

When he finally does look up Stiles is biting his lip to try and stop himself from smiling. “I’m a fan of yours too,” he confesses shyly, his cheeks colouring.

“I’m…not an actor?” Derek says idiotically.

Stiles’ eyes widen like he can’t believe Derek misunderstood what he just said. “No but you are oblivious,” he says, rolling his eyes again and taking a tentative step forward. “I’m trying to tell you I like you, doofus.”

“Oh,” Derek replies before Stiles’ words sink in. “ _Oh_. I- I like you too. Like, probably way too much.”

Stiles laughs, gives him an expression Derek’s never seen before, on screen or otherwise, and takes another step into Derek’s space. “Well that’s good,” Stiles tells him, settling his hands on Derek’s waist. Derek swallows hard before mimicking his action. “Because I don’t do anything half-assed.”

There’s this split-second of anticipation where Derek feels like he’s about to die if he doesn’t close the gap between them but then Stiles is surging forward, accidentally bumping his nose against Derek’s and laughing into his mouth.

It’s the best feeling in the entire world.

Literally the only thing that tops it is when Stiles’ hands slide up his chest and over his shoulder to wind around his neck while Derek tangles his fingers in Stiles’ hair to pull him closer.

Or maybe it’s when Stiles licks the seam of his lips and digs his fingers into Derek’s hips so hard, Derek’s sure it’ll leave bruises.

Or maybe it’s when they part for a second to catch their breath and Derek murmurs, “Go out with me,” in the space between their lips and Stiles gives him a blinding smile before pulling him in again.

Or- you know what, he’ll figure it out later.

 

**Author's Note:**

> HAPPY (belated) BIRTHDAY HELA!!!!! <3
> 
> i haven't written legitimate, tooth-rotting, pining, oblivious idiots fluff in so long, so I hope you enjoyed this one ;)
> 
> As always you can find me at [ allyasavedtheday](http://allyasavedtheday.tumblr.com/) :) and these doofuses do not belong to me but you already knew that


End file.
